


Eleventh Hour

by magicianlogician12



Series: Heart of Steel [8]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 22:46:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6630052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianlogician12/pseuds/magicianlogician12
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tabitha is about to march on the Institute. She and Haylen try to find the right way to say goodbye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eleventh Hour

At the Boston Airport, Haylen stood to the side, out of the way, wringing her hands together and biting her lower lip. Liberty Prime towered over her, and she craned her neck up to see its head in the predawn light.

Today was the day, after all, the day the Brotherhood was set to finally wipe the Institute from the face of the Commonwealth.

Tabi stood fully geared-up in her power armor with her faithful rifle, Nighstrike, on her shoulder. She held her helmet in her hands as she spoke with Elder Maxson about the final plan for this assault. He gave her one last order, Tabi nodded once, sharply, and then she turned on her heel and approached Haylen, lips pursed.

“So…” Haylen’s sentence trailed off, and she looked down at her boots. “…I guess this is it.”

“It is.” Tabi agreed quietly, too quietly. “We’re set to head out in a few minutes.”

Scribes were armed like the rest of the Brotherhood, but only senior scribes, ones who had better knowledge of a battlefield, would be accompanying the knights and paladins who were about to leave today. Haylen was not one of them, and it relieved and terrified her in equal measure. Relieved because she would not have to see Tabi in danger, though she was under no illusions what was intended to happen today. Terror because, if this went poorly, today would be the last day she saw Tabi, the woman she loved.

“Hey.” Haylen looked up at Tabi’s voice, and while the paladin looked somber, there lay an undercurrent of determination. She reached carefully out with her large, armored hands, and held both of Haylen’s hands in hers. “I said I would come back, didn’t I?”

Haylen let out a shuddering breath. “You’d better.” she said, her voice shaky and uncertain.

“I will.” Tabi’s face was set, her jaw solid and her blue eyes implacable. Haylen almost pitied the synths that would stand in her way.

Haylen wanted to say more, _needed_  to say more, but Liberty Prime began its slow movement away from the railings it’d been set in, and she knew they were out of time. She squeezed Tabi’s hands, though she knew the paladin couldn’t feel it through the armor, and said, “Go on, then, soldier girl. You’ve got a job to do.”

Tabi hesitated, then saw the other knights moving into formation around Prime. She placed her helmet securely on her head, drew her rifle, and walked over to join them.

Haylen watched her go. _You promised you’d come back. You told me you don’t break your promises._

_Don’t let this be the first._


End file.
